head up, teeth gritted, smile plastered on is how you do it. Shut the brain off, turn the charm on and jump in. That's all you can do, man. I once worked as a Santa's helper at a big mall in SoCal. Retail's not half as horrible as that.

Think of what professionals from other countries have to endure when they come to the US. I mean, here's an MD from, oh, I don't know, from Mexico. He comes over, legally, I might add. And he can only be, what, a janitor, a dishwasher?

I remember when I was out of work for two years, back in the early 1980s.... Now, I'm trapped in a job as a minor public library worker at a place that's stiffing me of wages and a profession that is just plain underrated by everyone. I don't even make a living wage.

Hold on, o.k.? There comes a point when, to make a living, you have to psychologically dissociate your so-called job from what is really meaningful to you in life. Yeah, I know, first you gotta get the job.

MNW